Chocolate apparatus.



Patented Aug. l5, I899.

'J. WERNER. CHOCOLATE APPARATUS.

(Application filed Aug. 6, 1898.)

(No Modem filventor:

AttOrn-eyJ'.

Witnesses.

.may show uniformity of manufacture. chocolate is mixed properly and isused at the UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN \VERNER, OF ROCHESTER, NEXV YORK.

CHOCOLATE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 630,957, dated August15, 1899.

Application filed Augnstfi, 1898. Serial No. 687,942. (No model.)

To (tZZ tvhont it 7714/,1 concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WERNER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ChocolateApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to chocolate apparatus, and particularly toapparatus for keeping the melted chocolate in a constant condition offluidity, and in the embodiment of the invention set forth in thisapplication is shown and described as applied to means for coatingcandies with chocolate or cocoa mixture.

In man ufacturingchocolatecandies,whether chocolate drops or candiescoated with chocolate, it is essential for uniformity of product both inappearance, hardness, and in keeping qualities that the chocolate shouldbe kept and manipulated while at a temperature of between St" and 88Fahrenheit. It is essential, too, that the chocolate should set quicklyafter it has been formed into the drop or has covered the candy. Itshould be hard in order that it should not be too easily damaged in thehandling, and when used as a coating should form a dense cover for thecandy in order that the interior mixture should not evaporate or tend toliquefy. It should be uniform in color in order that the product If thetemperature above stated, it will cool and harden quickly at a moderatetemperature and the product will have the highest degree of hardnesspossible for chocolate, and its appearance will be a rich one ofuniformly bright color and of good keeping quality. If, however, thechocolate is used when too warm, it

will cool very slowly and the goods will have a dull grayish appearance,will not have an attractive appearance, the chocolate will not be ashard as it should be, and the keeping quality of the confection is notas great as that of chocolate when manipulated under the conditionsabove mentioned. Even goods of high grades when manipulated in such amanner vas to produce a lack of uniformity of temperature will beinferior in the market to goods of much lower grade when manipulatedunder proper conditions.

Chocolate is first melted, and then should be cooled to about 86Fahrenheit. At this temperature it should be stirred or mixed until itreaches its proper setting condition. If after having been thus stirredit is maintained at 84 to 88 Fahrenheit during further manipulation, itwill keep in proper condition for use for a long time and when allowedto cool will set quickly and hard and with a good color, and theproductis very uniform in color, keeping qualities, hardness, and inthickness of the coating. Unless these conditions are complied with, thechocolate may run after the dipping of a confection and during thecooling, and a variable and inferior product is the result.

Two methods of manipulating chocolate, either for making chocolate dropsor tablets or for coating candies, are now employed. The first method isto keep a quantity of hot chocolate in a tank, supplying the tank from amixingkettle. The tank is set in a table upon which and adjacent to thetank is a marble slab. The operator takes a small quantity of the hotchocolate from the tank, places it on the slab, and stirs it with thehand until it is cooled in his judgment to the right degree, and thenuses as much of it as he can until the chocolate is too cool for propermanipulation, whereupon more hot chocolate is added to the cooledchocolate upon the slab, and the operator stirs the cool and the hotchocolate together until the right temperature is reached. It is obviousthat in this method of manipulating chocolate the chocolate in the tankmust be kept hotter than is necessary, while the chocolate on the slabtends to become cooler than is necessary; and it is further obvious thatthe temperature of the chocolate at which it is to be manipulated isleft wholly to the judgment of the operator. It is further obvious thatmuch time is necessarily employed in mixing the fresh supply of the hotchocolate with the cooled chocolate on the slab, and that thetemperature and therefore the qualities of the chocolate are constantlyvarying. The other method of manipulating chocolate is to place a largemass of hot chocolate in a pan and to stir it with a spatula or otherinstrument until it is sufliciently cool. Then a fork or other suitableinstrument is used for dipping the candies into the chocolate forcoating the same. In

this case a large amount of chocolate must be mixed at one time, andwhen it congeals a considerable amount of time and labor is necessary toreheat it and to mix and stir it again to the right consistency.

The latter method of coating or dipping chocolate candies is employed bysome manu facturers of candies; but the former method is much thecheaper and is in wider use.

The mixing and cooling of chocolate has heretofore required aboutone-third the time needed for the coating in .the method first abovedescribed, and in the last-describedmethod the loss of time is stillgreater.

In both of the methods above mentioned uniformity and perfection ofproduct depends on the judgment of the operator, and even for low-gradegoods necessitates skilled and correspondingly high-priced labor.

The object of this invention is to avoid the loss of time, loss oflabor, and to employ less skilled and therefore cheaper operators thanis possible under the two methods above mentioned.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a plant comprising myinvention, a part thereof being shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is atop plan of a portion of the dipping or coating table, showing twoformsof dipping tank or kettle. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3 3 ofFig. 2. Figs 4c and 5 are respectively side and end elevations of thedipping-tank shown at the right in Fig. 2, and- Fig. 6 is across-section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

A is the operating-table.

B is one form of dipping-tank, which is set in the face of the table andis composed of the chocolate-receptacle b and outer jacket or doublebottom 1), there being a space between the kettle b and the jacket I).An inlet for fluid of suitable character is provided into the doublebottom 1), preferably at about the highest portion of the space betweenthe kettle and jacket. The fluid, therefore, may circulate through thejacket, and it may be steam, water, air, or other mobile fluid. Upon theface of the table and adjacent to the open kettle is a slab 0,preferably of marble. The hot chocolate is taken from the kettle, isplaced upon the slab O, and is there manipulated as desired andsubstantially in the manner above described. When chocolate cools uponthe slab, it is scraped back into the kettle, and if the temperature ofthe fluid in the double bottom is kept uniform and the flow of fluidthrough the double bottom is sufficient to give off its heat freely tothe kettle the chocolate in the kettle may be kept at a uniformtemperature and may be used in small quantities upon the slab C. On theleft-hand side in Fig. 2 is shown another form of dipping-kettle D,which is shown also in section in Fig. 6. This kettle is set upon theupper surface of the operating-table A, and consists in the kettleproper, d, the jacket d forming a double bottom between the kettle andthe jacket for the circulation of fluid,

as just described with reference to the kettle B, and provided with likeinlet and outlet. The kettle cl is, like the kettle b, ofheat-conducting material-such as iron, steel, or copperand is providedwith a flange or lip (1 which may be united to the kettle d in such amanner that heat Will be conducted from the kettle to the lip. The lipmaybe formed, as shown in the drawings, integral with the kettle. Thelip 61 will therefore be heated by conduction from the kettle or tank61, and its temperature will be substantially that of the kettle and ofthe chocolate in the kettle, and but slightly lower. The lip ispreferably inclined to the surface of the table in order that thechocolate thereon, if fluid, may flow back into the kettle. I

E is a suitable heater for the fluid, which is conducted to and throughthe double bot toms of the kettles above described. The form of thisheater is immaterial, except that it must be capable of introductioninto the circulation system leading to and from the kettles. It may beadapted to heat air or to produce steam or to heat water. ent instanceit is a water-heater adapted to be heated by gas. The gas-main E,leading into the heater, is provided with a regulating-cock E and theheater is provided with an inlet-pipe E and an outlet-pipe E In theoutlet-pipe E is a thermostat consisting of a rod of suitable metal einside the pipe.

and extending outside thereof and connected with an electricalcontact-arm e, adapted to make and break connection with a contactpoint6 A battery 6 or other suitable source of electrical power is connectedwith the contact-point e as by the wire (2 The contactarm e is connectedby the wire or electrical conductor 6 with anelectrical motor consistingin the present case of the electro magnet or magnets e and the armature6 The armature e is set upon the pivoted lever 6 having a counterweighte or other suitable device for moving the lever oppositely to the pullof the magnets e. The lever is also connected, as by the link 6 with theoperatingarm of the regulating-valve E The battery (2 is connected bythe wire or conductor 6 with the motor, so that the current flows fromthe battery through the conductor a, the electromagnets e, the conductor6 the contact-arm e, and the conductor e In connection with thegas-inlet E, leading to the gas-burner inside of the heater E, is apilot-flame pipe E in constant connection with the gas-inlet andindependent of the cock E". A small flame constantly burns inside of theheater fed by the pipe E and In the pres-' when the cock E shuts off theflame to the r heating-burner and the cock-main supplies gas to theburner the pilot-flame relights the gas at the burner. Thispilot-flameconstruction and mode of operation are well known to thoseskilled in the art of gas management, and therefore need no furtherexplanation. The outlet-pipe E continues past the thermostat c and isconnected with the distributing-main F. The inlet-pipe E runs from asuitable pump G, shown in the present instance as a rotary pump, drivenby the belt G from a suitable driving-shaft. The pump G produces apositive or forced circulation; but other modes of producing this resultare considered equivalents for the pump-such, for instance, asgravitation from the tank J. The inlet to the pump is connected with areturn-main H. The distributing-main F has a connection runningtherefrom to each of the double-bottomed chocolate-kettles. In thepresent instance these connections are short pipes f f, and in orderthat the distribution of the water to the various kettles should beuniform the interior cross-section of the distributing-pipe F is alwaysequal to or greater than the sum of the internal crosssections of theconnecting-pipesf. The purpose of this arrangement is that the con-'tracted orifices into the tanks composed of the pipes of small borerestricts the amount of fluid passing through the connections and tendsto produce uniformity of jet or flow into the series of kettles, whileif the connecting-pipes should be larger than described the flow wouldbe greater through those nearest the inlet end of the supply-main andwould be less through those farthest away, thus producing variable feedof the feeding fluid and a difference of temperature in the kettles.Each kettle has an outlet-orifice leading to the highest point of thespace in the double bottom, and a connection consisting of a pipe hleads from the double bottom to the returnmain H. The return-main andthe connecting-pipes h are each of a sufficient diameter to give freeoutlet for the fluid from the double bottoms of the tanks. To the inletof the return-pipe H, and therefore to theinlet to the pump G, there isconnected a supply-pipe J from a supply-tank J. If the fluid should byleakage or otherwise diminish in quantity, the supply is still keptconstant by this means. The tank J permits expansion of the water in thesystem and escape of air.

Suitable cocks h, having handles extending to convenient positionas, forinstance,

above the table, as shown-are inserted in the outletconnections hforregulating the flow of the fluid or for shutting it 05.

In the outlet-pipe E is placed a thermometer e for determining thetemperature of the outlet-water in order to set and regulate theoperation of the thermostat and for other purposes.

The contact-arm e of the thermostat is normally out of contact with thecontact-point e The operation of the device is as follows: The heaterhaving been started the pump G is also started, forcing the Waterthrough the heater and through the circulation system, composed of thepipes E the supply-main F, the connectionsf, the double bottoms of thekettles, the outlet connections h, and the return -pipe H. This forcedcirculation is kept up by means of the pump. The kettles of coursebecome heated to the temperature of the water passing through theirdouble bottoms. If the supply of chocolate is now placed in any of thekettles through which heated water is circulating, the chocolate will beheated to the temperature of the water. The thermostat-bar E is ofcourse heated to the same temperature as the water, and its lengthdepends upon its temperature. If its temperature rises above the pointto which it is regulated, it will lengthen and move the contact-arm 6into contact with the contactpoint e which energizes the magnets e pullsdown the armature e and arm 6 turning the cock E and shutting off thegas-supply to the heater. As soon, however, as the water passing thethermostat falls below the desired temperature the thermostat-bar eshortens, breaks the contact between the arm a and the point 6denergizes the magnets 6 and the counterweight c reopens the gas-cock Ewhereupon the pilot-flame of the pipe 6 relights the burner and theheating of the water in the heater is again set up. It will thus be seenthat by means of the thermostat a very delicate regulation of the heatof the water can be maintained, and in fact it is found that thetemperature of the water can be maintained within one degree of thenormal temperature for which the device is regulated. On account also ofthe forced circulation it is found that the water as it returns throughthe system to the heater can be so regulated that the water aftersupplying the heat to the kettles falls less than one degree intemperature from the water issuing from the heater. Thus a uniformheating of the chocolate in the kettles is produced. From the kettleshaving the lip d the chocolate is taken out in small quantities, placedupon the lip, and there is manipulated as desired, whether for coatingcandies or otherwise, and by the use of small quantities and theconduction of heat into the lip the chocolate is kept at a very uniformtemperature while being manipulated. On the slab G the chocolate ofcourse falls in temperature while thereon, but when too much congealedmay be scraped directly back into the kettle B and is there reheated foruse.

lVhat I claim is- 1. in a chocolate apparatus, a chocolate; kettlehavinga double bottom,a heating-tank, a circulation system connectingthe heatingtank and the double bottom of the kettle, and means forautomatically controlling the temperature of the fluid in said system,substantially as described.

2. In a chocolate apparatus, a chocolate kettle having a double bottom,aheating-tank, a circulation system connecting the heatingtank and thedouble'bottom of the kettle, means for automatically controlling thetemperature of the fluid in said system, and means for positively movingthe fluid through the circulation system substantially as described.

IIO

3, The combination of a series of chocolatekettles, each having a doublebottom, a heatin g-tank, a distributing-main connecting with said tank,a series of inlet connections from said double bottom for circulatingfluid therethrough, means for producing a circulation of fluid in saidpipes, and thermostatic mechanism for automatically regulating the tem-'perature of the fluid in said pipes.

5. In a chocolate apparatus, the combination of a chocolate-kettleseated in an outer receptacle for a heating fluid, a circulation systemincluding said receptacle, heating ape paratus for heating the fluid inthe circulation system, and thermostatic mechanism for automaticallycontrolling the temperature of the fluid in the system.

JOHN WE NER,

\Vitnesses:

0. R. Oscoon, F. BISSELL.

